A video of a young Coco Gauff celebrating in the stands as an eight-year-old has emerged after the American won the US Open 2023 women’s singles event on Saturday.
On September 9, the 19-year-old American Gauff clinched her first Grand Slam singles title at the US Open. Gauff made an extraordinary comeback to defeat Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling three-set match.
The initial set saw Sabalenka dominate with her powerful baseline game, winning 6-2. Gauff seemed to struggle, her forehand failing under the constant pressure from Sabalenka’s aggressive play. However, this was not the first time Gauff had lost the opening set in this tournament, and she was far from defeated.
The turning point came early in the second set. Gauff began shortening her back swing, playing less defensively, and going after her shots more assertively. This shift in strategy paid off when she broke Sabalenka’s serve in the fourth game, gaining a 3-1 lead. The crowd rallied behind Gauff, sensing a momentum shift in the match. From this point onwards, Sabalenka only won four more games.
Gauff’s relentless defense and improved forehand started to drive Sabalenka into errors. Sabalenka, who had been blasting powerful shots from inside the baseline, found herself forced to hit extra balls from uncomfortable positions. She ended up committing 46 unforced errors compared to Gauff’s 19.
In the decisive third set, despite a brief wobble following a medical timeout for Sabalenka, Gauff maintained her momentum. She broke back immediately after being broken for 4-2, and the set became one-way traffic. The final game saw three consecutive Sabalenka errors bring up triple championship point for Gauff, who sealed her maiden Grand Slam title with a cool backhand winner down the line.
It took Gauff two hours and six minutes to win the match 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
This victory marked Gauff as the third American teenager to win the US Open women’s final, joining the ranks of Tracy Austin in 1979 and Serena Williams in 1999.
Now, the US Open’s official social media account has shared a wonderful video of a young Gauff having the time of her life in the stands.
After her win on Saturday, Gauff went on to reveal that she would indeed come to the US Open to watch Serena and Venus Williams compete.
